Postcard from the Universe – NGC1365 and Supernova 2012fr

A photo taken from my driveway of NGC1365 and supernova 2012fr. It is a bright supernova in a classic barred spiral galaxy. I had observed NGC1365 in mid-October with the 18″, noting the beautiful spiral structure. The supernova appeared about two weeks later. I have since observed it in a couple telescopes, including Cliff’s 24″.

The nova seems to be fading now, it peaked around 12th magnitude in November. Currently about 14.5 magnitude, but still easy with the AT6RC and Canon 20Da camera.

NGC1365 and SN2012fr
The barred spiral galaxy NGC1365 and SN2012fr

Postcard from the Universe – Lagoon

Another product of this last new Moon star party at the MKVIS. An easy target, suited to checking the performance of the new setup. As usual, click on the image to view the larger size…

The Lagoon
The Lagoon Nebula, NGC6523, in Sagittarius, 11 x 8min exposures, Canon 20Da and AT6RC